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The 3 toss-up gov races

Governor’s races in three states — Washington, Montana and New Hampshire — are genuine tossups heading into the fall homestretch as the national parties harness resources for their most prime pickup opportunities.

While the GOP looks best positioned for a takeover in North Carolina, Democrats remain bullish about holding their seats in Missouri and West Virginia, according to POLITICO’s August review of the most competitive races.

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That means the pressure is on Democrats to preserve the three open seats in their hands that top our list. Polling indicates that only a few percentage points stand between Republicans and a net gain of four governorships this cycle.

Yet the Wisconsin governor is exactly whom McDonnell chose to compare McKenna with at a meeting of Washington state delegates at the Republican National Convention. Even before that off-key message, the primary results placing former Rep. Jay Inslee ahead of McKenna by 4 points were worrisome enough for the Republican standard-bearer, who has also seen his polling lead evaporate. That may be why McKenna was seen as the aggressor in their first general election debate this week.

Its Sept. 11 primary is the last on the calendar, but this under-the-radar open-seat race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive gubernatorial fights in the country. With less than two weeks until voters select the nominees, the majority of the electorate doesn’t know three of the four candidates running — and doesn’t appear to be that interested. Former gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne is expected to withstand a spunky challenge by former lawmaker Kevin Smith for the GOP nod. The Democratic fight is a bit trickier to handicap, with former state Senate Majority Leader Maggie Hassan clinging to a 6-point advantage over former lawmaker Jackie Cilley in an August Public Policy Polling survey that showed a whopping 46 percent undecided.

The battle has been joined in the race between Democratic Attorney General Steve Bullock and Republican Rick Hill, with both national parties taking to the airwaves in a sprint to define the opposition. Democrats are slapping the “lobbyist” label on Hill and touting his time in Washington as a congressman. The GOP is reminding voters Bullock refused to join the lawsuit against President Obama’s health care law, flashing pictures of Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi in their own spot. While Hill outraised Bullock during the most recent fundraising period, the Democrat still heads into the fall with a more than 2-to-1 cash on hand advantage.

Readers' Comments (13)

One look at the states currently with Republican governors and with Democrat governors tells the story. Republican governors have healthy financial situations. Democrat governors are killing their states with debt. OBozo's home state, Illinois, had its credit rating downgraded for a second time last week. Governor Quinn is paralyzed. He's just too dumb for the job. Pension commitments are about to bankrupt Illinois, and still the Dim Ones do nothing.

States where the GOP has taken over are reverting to the past - bringing back voter suppression laws in a modern poll tax; pushing women back decades by attacking reproductive choices, and they are also pushing for privatization of schools so religious zealots can fill children's heads with myths, rather than facts.

States where the GOP has taken over are reverting to the past - bringing back voter suppression laws in a modern poll tax; pushing women back decades by attacking reproductive choices, and they are also pushing for privatization of schools so religious zealots can fill children's heads with myths, rather than facts.

Wow, I just paid real estate taxes on my house to my COUNTY GOVERNMENT. It included $3,500 to my school district, $500 to my fire district and $350 to the Village, which included the police department. It’s sad that the folks on the Left don’t know what in the hell they are talking about! You must be a renter. I’m wasting a lot of money on public schools if Liberals aren’t teaching the levels of Government. Stick to the birth control pills and that touchy-feely stuff. Facts are too hard for the Left to comprehend!

Just look at all the successful Republican Governors and then look at the loser States like California, Oregon and Illinois to name a few. The loser states are run by DEMOCRATS - some not as BAD as Obama but then there is California where Jerry Brown is an equal of Obama although not as corrupt.

Kasich in Ohio has turned the state around as has Christie in New Jersey. And Governorships are the training grounds for Presidents.

The McKenna-Inslee race is going to be a good one. The only way a Republican is going to win a state wide race here is by being more moderate, in the Dan Evans mold, and McKenna fits into that pattern. He's not "Tea Party scary, which will play well in Democratic/swing voting King County. Although nominally a Democrat myself, it would not bother me greatly if McKenna won. He's moderate enough on enough issues that I can live with him.

The McKenna-Inslee race is going to be a good one. The only way a Republican is going to win a state wide race here is by being more moderate, in the Dan Evans mold, and McKenna fits into that pattern. He's not "Tea Party scary, which will play well in Democratic/swing voting King County. Although nominally a Democrat myself, it would not bother me greatly if McKenna won. He's moderate enough on enough issues that I can live with him.

Jerry Brown was sworn in 2011. The governator was in charge for 8 fricking years. He left a $ 20 billion debt. Yet here you are blaming Brown for not fixing a screw up in 1/8 the time it to create the mess the first place

It comes as no surprise though. It is par for the course with Republicans both the state and national level. All the GOP to screw things up, then expect the Democrats to fix it probably by waving a magic wand. Abra cadabra, it's fixed.

"I’m wasting a lot of money on public schools if Liberals aren’t teaching the levels of Government."

The reason schools are not teaching as much about "levels of Government" as they used to is George Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, which requires schools to be evaluated on reading decoding and math computation, and provides penalties as steep as closing the school and firing the teachers if they fail. Consequently the arts, science, and ,yes, government, have been sacrificed to put more time and effort into reading and math.

Its a good example of the unintended consequences of government intervention, but it wasn't done by those "Liberals", and certainly not by the teachers' unions. It was done by a bunch of politicians who only half understand the problems involved.

The public is not dumb. Republicans despite all the democratic claims to keeping your money, have produced balanced budgets and not raised taxes. Allowed for business to thrive instead of throttling them with burdensome rules and taxes. The same is possible at the national level. We just have to get rid of the democrats who never can get enough of your money or pass enough restrictive laws to ruin your business and life.

The republican governors have helped their states get back on an economic footing!! Some painfully so, but the voters see what is going on in those states! And it is good for a change! IL and CA are a mess and will be for years to come! The city of Chicago with all the democratic leadership and the clown they have no have ruin that city into the ground!